Welcome 2008!

It's the new year, and with it comes new beginnings. For me, I can honestly say that 2007 felt like passed in a heartbeat. I still remember sitting in the damp dorm room back in Singapore, the step by step events (the pit stop at NTUC, the crowded MRT ride, the wine in a can, the foam, everything) that happened on new year's night, and a whole lot of everything else that happened in the early half of last year. Of course, like a true asian tourist I have ample photos to help me with that. Still with my memory of that night this clear, it has been hard for me to believe that over 365 days have passed since then. Wow.

I remembered thinking last year around this time that it was going to be a good year. It was just this feeling I had. It was a feeling of excitement of what was to come, since there was this vast area that needed to be explored, interesting people to meet and learn from, and new memories to be made. The exact aforementioned was what happened, and maybe that was what made the latter half difficult. Difficult in the sense that I was questioning the traditions and practices that I had thought were the norm in any college life. Does this even make sense? The feeling could be described as for a brief second, I was exposed to another way my life could be. Not better, not worse, but just another way. And then here I feel like the whole world around me is like no, you're life should be like this, this is what you've wanted all along, it's the trajectory.

In 2007 I learned that promises can be broken from the most unlikely people. People who promise to write (myself included), don't and drift away. Love is gained, love is lost. Forever, sadly, doesn't always mean forever. Friends can deceive you, and surprise you with actions that hurt. Sometimes, it turns out that the mark you made on people is really not that much, and after awhile, life goes on.

But in 2007 I also learned that love doesn't have to be lost because of distance, that I can disappear for 6 months and still come home to people who have made this place home, that amazing friendships can continue after they are transplanted from one side of the ocean to another, and most importantly, that the workings of human have made it possible to create room for new relationships to grow. And all these are very comforting to know.

That being said, I think that 2008 will be a blast. I don't think it will be easy, and I can predict much confusion, frustration, and apprehension when push comes to shove and I am forced to make amends with my aspirations and reality. Actually, I think it will be a difficult year, but whoever said difficult can't be fun and an exciting ride?